Discreetness ruled out of Oklahoma Derby

The Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby leads a stakes-filled program of racing at Remington Park on Sunday, Sept. 25. The fields for the 10 stakes races are beginning to come together for the biggest Thoroughbred program in Oklahoma racing.

The overall purses for the 12-race Oklahoma Derby Day card on Sept. 25 will exceed $1.4 million. The Primetime Pick 4, over the last four races on the program, will carry a guaranteed wagering pool of $50,000. The first race on Oklahoma Derby Day is at 3pm-Central.

The Remington Park racing office will take entries for Oklahoma Derby Day on Thursday morning. Until then, here is a brief look at the major stakes races and possible contestants.

Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby

Oklahoma’s only graded Thoroughbred event, the 28th-running of the 1-1/8 miles derby is expected to once again have a possible field of 10 or more. The derby will be limited to 14 overall.

Texas Chrome, winner of the Grade 3 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, will bid for his second straight derby score. Owned by Keene Thoroughbreds of Greenville, Texas, trainer J.R. Caldwell has had Texas Chrome in training at Remington Park since July. He jogged on Wednesday morning and according to Caldwell, Texas Chrome will dictate what his routine is leading to the Oklahoma Derby. “He went fantastic. We will decide day-to-day on what he does according to how he feels.”

The colt by Grasshopper has won seven of his 12 career starts, finishing worse than third only once. The Texas-bred has career earnings of $602,462. Jockey C.J. McMahon, the leading rider in the Remington Park jockey colony going into derby week, will have the assignment for the third consecutive race on Texas Chrome.

Discreetness, winner of the 2015 Springboard Mile at Remington Park, has been ruled out for the Oklahoma Derby. Out of competition since a ninth-place effort in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard on May 7, Discreetness has been posting workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. but evidently is not set for a return to action.

Sticksstatelydude, a Virginia-bred colt trained by Greg Burchell, also arrived at Remington Park on Tuesday. A winner of two career races, Sticksstatelydude visited the Remington Park main track on Wednesday morning at 8:30am, after the renovation break, to jog. He was most recently fourth in the Smarty Jones at Parx on Sept. 5.

The Grade 3 Canadian Derby winner will once again be on hand for the Oklahoma Derby. This year’s participant is Ready Intaglio, winner of the Canadian Derby by three-quarters of a length. Trained by Amber Meyaard, Ready Intaglio has won three consecutive stakes events, including the Canadian Derby on Aug. 20, all at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta. The Indygo Shiner colt breezed four furlongs at Remington Park on Saturday in :49.87.

Broadway Empire won the 2013 Oklahoma Derby after winning the Canadian Derby.

Trainer Donnie Von Hemel will attempt to win his all-time leading fourth Oklahoma Derby with Secret Passage. A promising 2-year-old at Remington Park last fall, Secret Passage was fourth in the Prelude Stakes at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La. on Aug. 6. The Prelude was his first race of 2016.

Owned by Pin Oak Stable of Versailles, Ky., Secret Passage breezed five furlongs in 1:00.47 over a fast track at Remington Park on Monday morning. Von Hemel was happy with the effort and has the Curlin colt aimed at Sunday.

Von Hemel has previously won the Oklahoma Derby with Clever Trevor (1989), Queen’s Gray Bee (1991) and Going Ballistic (2007).

Fish Trappe Road, winner of the Grade 1 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. in July arrived in Oklahoma City after a summer at Saratoga in upstate New York. Trained by Bret Calhoun, Fish Trappe Road was sixth in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop on Aug. 27 at Saratoga. Overall, the New York-bred colt has three wins from 10 attempts with earnings of $528,185.

Ready Dancer is in search of his third career victory. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Ready Dancer was fourth in the $100,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga in late July.

Seeking Blame is trained by Dallas Stewart. The colt by Blame was fifth in the Grade 2 Indiana Derby in mid-July. He is seeking just his second career victory and breezed five furlongs on Saturday at Churchill Downs in 1:01 2/5.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen has Gettysburg and Madtap under consideration for the Oklahoma Derby, one of the few derbies in North America that have eluded his successful career. Gettysburg was most recently sixth in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx in Philadelphia on Sept. 5. He was eighth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 11 and was fifth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park in April.

Madtap has made his last four attempts over turf, including his fourth-place effort in the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 11.

$200,000 Remington Park Oaks

The 3-year-old fillies have their spot on the undercard of the Oklahoma Derby, at 1-1/16 miles on the main track. Contestants are filing into the Remington Park stable area to prepare for the Sunday race.

Family Tree is expected in Wednesday afternoon from Kentucky for trainer Wayne Catalano. The filly by Smart Strike was third in the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park in Dec. 2015, the track’s top 2-year-old stakes event for fillies. Since then, she has continued to improve and impress, regularly competing in top graded stakes events.

In successive races this summer, Family Tree won the Grade 3, $200,000 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows, followed by a triumph in the Grade 2, $200,000 Indiana Oaks. Family Tree then took on superstar Songbird in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in August. She finished third, 8-3/4 lengths behind the top filly in racing.

Owned by Gary and Mary West of Omaha, Neb., Family Tree last worked on Friday at Keeneland, breezing five furlongs in :59 seconds.

Put Da Blame On Me is another expected to arrive at Remington Park on Wednesday. Trained by Mike Tomlinson, she was third in the Iowa Oaks, 5-1/2 lengths behind Family Tree. Recently, Put Da Blame On Me was last of 12 in a turf allowance at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 3.

Always On My Mind and Unbridled Mo both arrived on Tuesday at Remington Park to prepare for Remington Park’s top female Thoroughbred race. Both are trained by Todd Pletcher.

Unbridled Mo is seeking to run her winning streak to four in a row. She won the Grade 3, Monmouth Oaks on Aug. 20 by a neck. All three of her career races are part of her current streak with all taking place at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. She breezed four furlongs on Saturday morning at Belmont Park in :49 seconds.

Always On My Mind will attempt to make the Remington Park Oaks her second straight win. She also won on Aug. 20 at Monmouth Park in an allowance/optional claiming race, drawing clear by eight lengths. A daughter by Congrats, Always On My Mind breezed four furlongs at Belmont Park on Saturday morning in :48 3/5.

$175,000 Governor’s Cup

Contested for the first time on Oklahoma Derby Day, many of the region’s top older runners are set to battle over 1-1/8 miles. Smack Smack will attempt to win his second straight Governor’s Cup and his third straight race overall.

Owned by Toby Keith’s Dream Walkin Farm of Norman, Okla. and trained by Don Von Hemel, Smack Smack won the Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park as a 2-year-old before returning to score at age four in the Governor’s Cup last year. Now a 5-year-old, the gelding with versatile running-style ability has put together wins in the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa in July, followed by a win in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap in August.

Battle-tested, the Governor’s Cup will be the 10th start of 2016 for Smack Smack. He has won 10 of 28 career races and boasts earnings of $851,430.

Chocopologie is probable for the Governor’s Cup. Trained by Patrick Devereux, the 4-year-old colt by Candy Ride won his 2016 racing debut at Louisiana Downs on Aug. 3. The victory in an allowance/optional claiming event at one-mile over turf will serve as the lone prep for his Governor’s Cup. Chocopologie was second in the Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in 2015, trailing Mobile Bay by 2-1/4 lengths.

Mobile Bay is also expected to compete in the Governor’s Cup on Sunday. Trained by Victor Arceneaux, the Louisiana-bred colt has not won a race since the $150,000 Sunland Park Handicap on May 1. Most recently, he was fifth of 11 in the $75,000 Unbridled Stakes over turf at Louisiana Downs.

Mobile Bay was third behind Shotgun Kowboy in the 2015 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.

The hard-knocking Code West is also expected to attempt another Governor’s Cup on Sunday, after finishing third last year, 2-3/4 lengths behind Smack Smack. Trained by Boyd Caster, he was fifth in the Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows in July and third in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap in August. Code West was behind his nemesis Smack Smack in both of those attempts as well.

Code West breezed a sharp four furlongs at Remington Park on Sept. 15, in :49.50 seconds.

$150,000 David M. Vance Stakes

Ivan Fallunovalot loves Remington Park. As witnessed by his return from an eight-month vacation, he is ready to roll in the track’s richest sprint stakes on Sunday.

Owned by Lewis Mathews of Bismarck, Ark. and trained by Tom Howard, Ivan Fallunovalot won by two lengths here on Sept. 1, winning as he pleased while hitting the finish line in 1:08.72 for six furlongs. The allowance score was just over two-fifths of a second off the 25-year-old track record.

Ivan Fallunovalot seeks his second straight win in the Vance Stakes, formerly known as the Remington Park Sprint Cup. He has won four of his five starts at Remington Park over the past three seasons.

Supermason appears to be ready to offer a challenge to Ivan Fallunovalot. He scorched the track Wednesday morning while working six furlongs in a blistering 1:10.80, handily, as recorded by Remington Park clocker Vicky Grothaus. Trained by Bret Calhoun, Supermason galloped out seven furlongs in 1:25 over the fast track.

Supermason is a winner of three of his last four races, all at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas this summer. He won the $50,000 Assault Stakes against fellow Texas-breds on July 9 by 1-1/4 lengths, leading all the way while covering the mile in 1:37.98.

Trainer Mike Tomlinson will ship in some horses from his Churchill Downs base today for the Oklahoma Derby program. Candip is expected to be on the van, ready to face the Vance Stakes field. A 5-year-old horse by Candy Ride, Candip worked five furlongs at Churchill Downs on Monday in :59.2/5, breezing.

Candip won the $100,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa on July 2. He was second in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint in February. Candip was also second to Ivan Fallunovalot in the Vance Sprint a year ago at Remington Park.

The other stakes races on the Oklahoma Derby Day program include:

-       $100,000 Remington Green Stakes, 1-1/8 miles (turf)

-       $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes, 2-year-olds, six furlongs

-       $75,000 Ricks Memorial Stakes, older fillies and mares, 1-1/16 miles (turf)

-       $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes, older fillies and mares, six furlongs

-       $50,000 Bob Barry Memorial Stakes, older fillies and mares, 7-1/2 furlongs (turf)

-       $50,000 Red Earth Stakes, 7-1/2 furlongs (turf)

The Bob Barry Memorial and the Red Earth Stakes are restricted to Oklahoma-breds.

Source: Remington Park